Internal combustion engines and other high vibration environments are increasingly using electrical components to perform control functions and other tasks. Those electrical components must be interconnected with electrical conductors or wires that run throughout the engine compartment environment. Those wires are typically exposed to wide ranges of temperature, moisture, oil, vibrations and other conditions that might cause damage. As microprocessors are increasingly used to control internal combustion engines, the number of electrical components within the engine compartment will increase, thereby increasing the number of wires exposed to the engine compartment environment.
To facilitate easy installation and removal, electrical components are generally connected to the wiring by an electrical connector. The electrical connector is connected to the wiring which in turn is connected to the other various electrical components. The electrical connector generally includes a plug and a receptacle which permits the electrical connection to be formed between the electrical component and the engine electrical circuitry. The plug includes individual sockets which are electrically connected to the wiring harness. The receptacle may be molded to an exterior surface of the electrical component and generally includes pins that are connected to the internal circuitry of the electrical component. When the plug is inserted into the receptacle, the pin engages with the socket to form an electrical connection between the component and the wiring harness.
One particularly harsh environment for electrical connectors involves fuel injectors. Such connectors are generally exposed to large variations in temperature and are exposed to significant vibrations. Vibrations can cause small movements between the pin and socket of an electrical connector. Over time, those movements can enlarge the socket opening and decrease the diameter of the pin, among other things. The vibrations may degrade the electrical connection and in some cases could break the connection altogether. Vibration damage is even more likely when the vibrations occur at approximately the same frequency as the natural frequency of the electrical connector.
Another problem with known connectors is that the entire plug portion of the connector must be discarded if a single socket is damaged.
There are some electrical connectors known in the art that permit a component to be easily replaced by simply disconnecting the component from the circuit using electrical connector. An example of such known connectors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,902,247 and 4,971,580. Some electrical connectors have been designed to be used in a vehicle application. For example the electrical connector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,271 is used with a fuel injector.
However, none of the prior art recognizes these problems associated with vibration nor does the prior art disclose a solution.
An object of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector that can withstand vibration.
Still another object of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector in which the natural frequency of the connector can be easily modified to a frequency that is different from the vibration frequencies produced by the operating environment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having a plug in which the socket can be readily and easily removed and replaced.
Yet other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in connection with the drawings and appended claims.